Dato' DrJacobThomas Executive Director (Healthcare)KL International Hospital Sdn BhdMalaysia

Dato’ Dr. Jacob Thomas, a Malaysian aged 77, is a medical doctor with extensive experience in hospital management, built through senior roles at Ramsay Sime Darby Health Care (“RSDH”). He served as Executive Director of the flagship Subang Jaya Medical Centre for nine years from 1998 to 2006, then as Group Medical Advisor from 2006 to 2023 for RSDH that comprises seven hospitals in Malaysia and is recognised for tertiary care, quality, and service excellence. He has held national and international leadership positions. He was appointed Champion, the head, of the Private Healthcare Productivity Nexus under the Malaysia Productivity Corporation to improve productivity in the private healthcare sector, including the enhanced Public Private Partnership. He served as a Councillor of the Malaysian Society for Quality in Health, an accredited member of ISQua. He was a member of the Joint Commission International Board from 2014 to 2023 and was appointed Chairman of its Board of Directors from January 2022 to December 2023, a board based in Chicago, USA. He also served as President of the Association of Private Hospitals of Malaysia from 2008 to 2018 and was Chairman of the Board of Directors at RSDH from its formation in 2013 until August 2021. Dato’ Dr. Jacob works closely with the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council and with government agencies and non-governmental organisations to promote Malaysian healthcare locally and internationally. He is also a sought-after speaker at conferences and seminars, sits on editorial boards of healthcare magazines, and serves as an advisor and judge for regional healthcare conferences and awards. His contributions have been recognised with major awards. In 2019, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Healthcare from Global Health and Travel. In May 2023, he was recognised with the Thomas Masterson Healthcare Pioneer of the Year in Asia Pacific, an award that honours leading health experts and the legacy of Thomas Masterson, Co-Founder of GlobalHealth Asia Pacific, and acknowledges his pioneering impact on the healthcare industry and medical tourism sector.